Tasting Tour NYC: City Cakes

Chelsea, Manhattan

City Cakes
251 West 18th St. (basement)
www.citycakes.com

Though it calls itself “the cake shop known for cookies,” City Cakes–quite a small bakery with only one oven–serves up a gorgeous array of gourmet cupcakes on a daily basis.

City Cakes offers classics alongside innovative creations. Here are the flavors I recently tried with a few trusty tasters.

Red Velvet
Red Velvet

A good red velvet is a must, and City Cakes’ Red Velvet Extravagance is a nice, moist cake and frosting with just the right balance of cream cheese.

PB&J
PB&J

City Cakes’ special Peanut Butter & Jelly cupcake has “white bread” cake filled with, yes, peanut butter and jelly, covered with a light peanuty buttercream with some jelly on top.

One taster wanted more peanut butter and was a little thrown off by the “bread” cake, finding it too dense. It is a different sort of cake from the norm, but it hits that PB&J sandwich nail on its head.

Cookies-n-Dream
Cookies-n-Dream

The City Cake’s Cookies-n-Dream cupcake will please Oreo fans. Vanilla buttercream and a Nutella-dipped Oreo tops it off. This cupcake was described as having a Nutella core, but mine seemed missing. (No worries, we still enjoyed it!)

Raspberry Chocolate (GF)
Raspberry Chocolate (GF)

The Flourless Dark Chocolate Cupcake filled with raspberry purée from City Cakes is a tasty gluten-free option. It’s a powerful punch of chocolate and raspberry that I really liked. Great with coffee (milk, no sugar).

Sharing City Cakes Cupcakes
Sharing is caring! The Cookies-n-Dream and Red Velvet for four
Inside a City Cakes PB&J Cupcake
Inside the PB&J

The cupcakes aren’t all on offer. City Cakes’ famous cookies deserve their own post, as do its crazy-dreamy sculpted cakes (this one will do for my next birthday, thanks!).

City Cakes Storefront
A tiny spot tucked under a residential building

Venture downstairs to try these treats for yourself!

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